Do you ever wonder what God is like?
Sometimes I'm left wondering what to do with this God who created everything around me. The stars seem so far away and so far removed. The scale of creation seems so big and yet I'm left trying to understand what God is like. Doesn't He feel so far away? So big I can't get a hold of Him? So great that I don't know how to relate to Him? I'm left pondering the age old question: "What is God like?"
Here are some ways people say this:
"The nature of God"
"The rhythm of God"
"In line with God"
"The glory of God"
The Psalms continuously describe different aspects of God.
Pick one.
Read it.
Find how God is described.
Like in Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for
the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming
forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to his
course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
the statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great
reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
So we read and read and observe what (in this Psalm the author is David) David said.
But what do we do with this?
Do you believe in Jesus?
Does Jesus live in your heart?
Are you living in Christ?
It seems so easy to answer yes to these questions.
But what do these over-asked questions even mean?
Jesus instructs us to obey his teachings. [Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:23-24]
What are Jesus' teachings?
Think.
Is the Jesus you've learned about and understand come from the scriptures (the gospel), or from some others lips? Is the Jesus you've learned a stereotype or stigma produced by other people? Does that version of Jesus reflect the same Jesus the gospels reflect?
May you look to understand what God is like by looking at Jesus; the things he did, taught, and instructed. May you live your life with a belief in not only His death and resurrection; but with a belief in everything He was/is and stood for. May an uneasiness come over you to be a true disciple, a true learner of this Christ. May the pulse of your being beat to the rhythm of God.
May the cross represent "The Way" of Jesus to us all.
May the cross confirm what God is like.
